The Tucson Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is preparing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Ray Land Exchange and Resource Plan Amendment. The SEIS will supplement the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) issued in 1999 and the Record of Decision (ROD) issued on April 27, 2000.

The ROD approved an exchange of lands between Asarco LLC (Asarco) and the BLM for approximately 10,976 acres of Selected Lands identified for acquisition by Asarco in exchange for approximately 7,304 acres of Offered Lands to be given to BLM. The SEIS will satisfy the ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the case Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Dep’t of Interior, 623 F.3d 633, 650 (9th Cir. 2010).

In accordance with the court’s ruling and remand order, the SEIS will supplement the 1999 FEIS by providing a “with and without” comparative analysis found lacking by the Ninth Circuit. This analysis will compare two scenarios of potential environmental impacts on the Selected Lands from mining operations. One scenario analyzes potential impacts that could occur on the Selected Lands if they are not exchanged and remain under BLM jurisdiction (mining occurs with BLM regulations). The other analyzes potential impacts that could occur if the Selected Lands are exchanged and become privately owned lands (mining occurs without BLM regulations).

The SEIS also will address any substantial changes in the land exchange and any significant new circumstances or information relevant to analyzing the impacts of the land exchange (see 40 C.F.R. § 1502.9(c); BLM NEPA Handbook § 5.3). No lands have been added to the Selected Lands. The SEIS will include analysis of only Selected Lands that were studied in the 1999 FEIS.

Information and Services for Public Participation

Learn about the SEIS: why it’s needed, what will be in it, where the land exchange is located, when it will be completed.